Shweta

“The chaplain had sinned, and it was good. Common sense told him that telling lies and defecting from duty were sins. On the other hand, everyone knew that sin was evil and that no good could come from evil. But he did feel good; he felt positively marvelous. Consequently, it followed logically that telling lies and defecting from duty could not be sins.
"The chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of protective rationalization, and he was exhilarated by the discovery. It was miraculous.
"It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue, slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character.”
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.”
― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

“It's enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.”
― Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

“Hope swears, “You’re different, you matter.” She whispers, “Miracles happen.” She says, often quite reasonably, “New treatments are being developed all the time.” She promises, “You’ll beat the odds.” A hundred to one? A thousand to one? A million to one? “Eight to five”, hope lies. Odds are when your time comes, you won’t even ask for or against. You’ll swing up on that horse and ride.”
― Mary Doria Russell, Doc